Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing WooCommerce Registration Forms

How to Customize WooCommerce Registration Forms

Think about your last visit to Amazon or browsing IKEA online. Ever wonder how they always seem to know what you need? 

From remembering your favorite products to suggesting items that match your style, these giants tailor your shopping experience right from the start. It begins at registration, where they gather more than just your name and email.

What if your store could do the same? Adding custom registration form fields in WooCommerce is your ticket to creating that personalized touch. This guide will show you how to add those fields without needing a tech degree. Just a simple, step-by-step approach to making your WooCommerce store feel like it truly knows your customers.

Need a hand with the setup? 

Our team of WooCommerce customisation experts is ready to assist, ensuring your store meets every customer’s expectations.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Why Standard Fields Fall Short
3. Why Custom Registration Fields Matter
4. How to Enable Registration on WooCommerce My Account Page
5. How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Registration Form
6. How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Registration Form Using Custom Code
7. How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Using a Plugin
8. Wrapping Up

Why Standard Fields Fall Short

Standard registration forms usually ask for basic details like name and email. While this might work for a simple sign-up, it falls short when you want to offer a more personalized experience. Think about a customer shopping on Amazon. 

Wouldn’t it be more engaging if the platform knew their preferences, like favorite brands or shopping habits? Standard fields don’t capture this level of detail.

Why Custom Registration Fields Matter

Custom registration fields allow you to gather specific information that helps tailor the shopping experience. For instance, knowing a customer’s preferred product categories or their birthday can lead to personalized recommendations and targeted promotions. 

This level of customization turns a generic sign-up process into a valuable interaction that builds customer loyalty and enhances satisfaction.

How to Enable Registration on WooCommerce My Account Page

Before customizing the registration form, the first step is to enable registration on your WooCommerce store. Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Enable Registration

1. Access Settings:
   • Navigate to WooCommerce -> Settings -> Accounts and Privacy.
2. Enable Account Creation:
   • Check the box labeled “Allow customers to create an account on the ‘My Account’ page.”

1. Username Field
   • Uncheck “Automatically generate an account username for the customer.” This will add a registration field for ‘Username’.
2. Password Field
   • Uncheck “Send the new user a link to set their password.” This will add a registration field for ‘Password’.

Step 2: View the Registration Form

Visit your-site-url/my-account to see the updated custom registration form. The appearance may vary based on your theme.

How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Registration Form

When it comes to adding custom fields to your WooCommerce registration form, you’ve got two options: coding or using plugins. Each has its perks, so let’s talk about both and see which one might suit you best.

Different Ways to Add Custom Fields

1. Custom Code:
   • If you like getting your hands dirty with code, this one’s for you. By tweaking the functions.php file in your theme, you can add and customize fields exactly the way you want. It gives you total control, but you’ll need to be comfortable with a bit of PHP and WordPress know-how.
2. Plugins:
   • Not a fan of coding? No problem. There are plenty of plugins out there to help you add custom fields without touching a line of code. These are very easy to use and perfect if you want a quick and hassle-free solution.

First, let’s learn the coding route and see how you can add custom fields manually. After that, we’ll explore the plugin method for those who prefer to keep things simple and code-free.

How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Registration Form Using Custom Code

When it comes to customizing your WooCommerce registration form with code, you’ve got a couple of options. Let’s break them down:

Two Ways to Add Custom Fields

1. WooCommerce Hooks:
   • This method involves using WooCommerce’s built-in hooks to insert custom fields. It’s a flexible approach that lets you seamlessly integrate new fields into the existing WooCommerce registration form.
     
2. Template Override:
   • If you need more control over the entire custom form layout and design, you can override the form-login.php template. This gives you the freedom to modify both the structure and the style of the form to fit your specific needs.

Before we get into the details, you should know that the WooCommerce registration form is loaded from the form-login.php template located at wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/myaccount/form-login.php. Now, let’s look at how you can add custom fields using WooCommerce hooks.

Method 1: Using WooCommerce Hooks

Hooks are like little shortcuts that help you sneak in custom fields wherever you want them. They keep everything tidy by using the existing styles of your theme. Here’s the scoop on using hooks:

• woocommerce_register_form_start: Want to add a field right at the beginning of the form? This hook’s got your back.
• woocommerce_register_form: Need to stick a field right before the “Register” button? Use this one.
• woocommerce_register_form_end: This one lets you add things after the form, but we won’t be diving into that right now.

These hooks let you slot new fields into your WooCommerce registration form without a hassle.

Pro Tip: Instead of tinkering with your theme’s functions.php directly, use a child theme or whip up a custom plugin. It keeps things neat and safe when updates roll around.

Adding Custom Fields with Hooks

Step 1: Create a Custom Field

First up, let’s add a “Name” field to the custom registration form. Here’s the code to get you started:

add_action( 'woocommerce_register_form_start', 'wdm_add_name_custom_field' );
function wdm_add_name_custom_field(){
   woocommerce_form_field(
      'name',
      array(
          'type'        => 'text',
          'required'    => true,
          'label'       => __('Name','wdm_customisation'),
      ),
      ( isset( $_POST[ 'name' ] ) ? $_POST[ 'name' ] : '' )
  );
}

Once you have added this code, the custom field will appear as shown below in the registration form:

Step 2: Save the Custom Field Data

Now, we need to make sure the data from this field is saved to the user’s profile. Here’s how:

add_action( 'woocommerce_created_customer', 'wdm_save_name_field' );
function wdm_save_name_field( $customer_id ){
  
   if ( isset( $_POST[ 'name' ] ) ) {
       update_user_meta( $customer_id, 'cust_name', wc_clean( $_POST[ 'name' ] ) );
   }  
}

This code saves the “Name” field data into the user meta table, so it’s all stored neatly.

Step 3: Add Validation for the Custom Field

To make sure users don’t skip this field, add a bit of validation:

add_action( 'woocommerce_register_post', 'wdm_validate_name_field', 10, 3 );
function wdm_validate_name_field( $username, $email, $errors ) {
  
   if( empty( $_POST[ 'name' ] ) ) {
       $errors->add( 'name_error', 'Name field cannot be empty'
);
   }
}

And just like that, you’ve got a custom field that’s fully functional and ready to roll.

Adding More Custom Fields with HTML

Want to add more fields like “Gender” and “Likings”? You can directly add HTML for this:

// Add custom fields to the registration form

function my_custom_registration_fields() {

   <?php

   <p class="form-row form-row-wide">

       <label for="reg_billing_name"><?php _e( 'Name', 'woocommerce' ); ?> <span class="required">*</span></label>

       <input type="text" class="input-text" name="billing_first_name" id="reg_billing_first_name" value="<?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['billing_first_name'] ) ) echo esc_attr( wp_unslash( $_POST['billing_first_name'] ) ); ?>" />

   </p>

   <p class="form-row form-row-wide">

       <label for="reg_gender"><?php _e( 'Gender', 'woocommerce' ); ?> <span class="required">*</span></label>

       <input type="radio" name="gender" value="male" <?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['gender'] ) && $_POST['gender'] == 'male' ) echo 'checked'; ?>> Male

       <input type="radio" name="gender" value="female" <?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['gender'] ) && $_POST['gender'] == 'female' ) echo 'checked'; ?>> Female

   </p>

   <p class="form-row form-row-wide">

       <label for="reg_likings"><?php _e( 'What are your likings?', 'woocommerce' ); ?> <span class="required">*</span></label>

       <select name="likings" id="reg_likings">

           <option value=""><?php _e( 'Select an option', 'woocommerce' ); ?></option>

           <option value="option1" <?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['likings'] ) && $_POST['likings'] == 'option1' ) echo 'selected'; ?>>Option 1</option>

           <option value="option2" <?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['likings'] ) && $_POST['likings'] == 'option2' ) echo 'selected'; ?>>Option 2</option>

           <option value="option3" <?php if ( ! empty( $_POST['likings'] ) && $_POST['likings'] == 'option3' ) echo 'selected'; ?>>Option 3</option>

       </select>

   </p>

   <?php

}

add_action( 'woocommerce_register_form', 'my_custom_registration_fields' );

To save these fields, use the following code:

function my_custom_registration_fields_save( $customer_id ) {
   if ( isset( $_POST['billing_first_name'] ) ) {
       update_user_meta( $customer_id, 'billing_first_name', sanitize_text_field( $_POST['billing_first_name'] ) );
   }
   if ( isset( $_POST['gender'] ) ) {
       update_user_meta( $customer_id, 'gender', sanitize_text_field( $_POST['gender'] ) );
   }
   if ( isset( $_POST['likings'] ) ) {
       update_user_meta( $customer_id, 'likings', sanitize_text_field( $_POST['likings'] ) );
   }
}
add_action( 'woocommerce_created_customer', 'my_custom_registration_fields_save' );

The registration form along with the custom fields added then appears as shown below:

Method 2: Overriding the WooCommerce Registration Form Template

If you want to take full control of your WooCommerce registration form’s layout and styles, you can override the form-login.php template. This method is perfect if you need more than just adding fields and want to tweak the entire form to your liking. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Copy the Template

1. Locate the Original Template:
   • Go to your WordPress installation directory and navigate to wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/myaccount/.
2. Copy form-login.php:
   • Find the form-login.php file in this directory and copy it. This is the file that renders the login and custom registration form on your site.

Step 2: Create a New Directory in Your Theme

1. Access Your Active Theme:
   • Open your WordPress theme directory, which is typically located at wp-content/themes/your-active-theme/.
2. Create a New Folder:
   • Inside your active theme folder, create a new folder named woocommerce.
3. Create Another Folder:
   • Inside the woocommerce folder, create another folder called myaccount. Your directory structure should look like this: your-active-theme/woocommerce/myaccount/.

Step 3: Paste and Modify the Template

1. Paste the Template:
   • Paste the form-login.php file you copied earlier into the myaccount folder you just created.
2. Customize the Template:
   • Open the form-login.php file in a text editor. Here, you can add your custom fields, change the form layout, and apply any specific styles you need. Feel free to get creative and make the form suit your brand’s design.

Step 4: Style the Form

1. Add Custom CSS:
   • If you want to tweak the appearance of your form further, add your custom CSS rules to your theme’s stylesheet (style.css) or a dedicated CSS file. This way, you ensure that your form looks just the way you want it across your site.

How to Add Custom Fields in WooCommerce Using a Plugin

Not a fan of coding? No worries! There are plenty of plugins out there that make adding custom fields to your WooCommerce registration form a breeze. Let’s take a look at some of the best free options available:

Top Plugins for Custom Registration Fields

1. User Registration:
   • A user-friendly plugin that allows you to create beautiful registration forms with ease. It offers drag-and-drop form building, making it simple to add custom fields and tailor the registration process to your needs.
2. Ultimate Member:
   • Known for its flexibility, this plugin lets you create custom user profiles and registration forms. It’s perfect for community-focused sites where user interaction is key.
3. User Profile Builder:
   • A straightforward plugin that allows you to add, edit, and manage custom fields on your registration form. It’s great for anyone looking to create personalized user experiences without any coding.
4. RegistrationMagic:
   • This powerful plugin lets you create custom registration forms and manage submissions effortlessly. It’s packed with features like role-based registration, payment integration, and more.
5. Formidable:
   • A versatile form builder plugin that goes beyond just registration forms. With its intuitive interface, you can create complex forms with conditional logic and custom fields to suit any need.
6. WP User Frontend:
   • This plugin offers front-end post submissions and profile building, making it easy to customize the registration form and manage user data from the front end of your site.

Getting Started with Plugins

Each of these plugins has its own set of features and advantages, so it’s worth exploring them to see which one fits your needs best. Here’s a general idea of how to get started:

1. Install the Plugin:
   • Head to your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, and search for the plugin you want to use. Click Install Now, then Activate to enable it on your site.
2. Configure Settings:
   • Once activated, you’ll find a new menu item for the plugin in your dashboard. Go through the settings to configure your registration form and add custom fields as needed.
3. Design Your Form:
   • Use the plugin’s interface to add and arrange fields. Most plugins offer a drag-and-drop builder, making it easy to customize the form to your liking.
4. Publish and Test:
   • Once you’re satisfied with the design, save your changes and test the form to ensure everything works smoothly. Make adjustments as needed to perfect the user experience.

By using a plugin, you can easily enhance your WooCommerce registration form without touching a line of code, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! Whether you’re rolling up your sleeves with some coding or using a handy plugin, adding custom fields to your WooCommerce registration form makes a real difference. 

It helps you get closer to your customers and gather the insights you need to improve their experience. Custom fields allow you to better understand your audience and offer them a shopping journey tailored to their needs.

If you need any help or want to explore how this could work for your store, feel free to reach out to our WooCommerce customization experts. We’re here to support you in creating an engaging and unique shopping experience.